Could there be an Atlanta millennial that has not taken back a mysteriously addictive and faintly flavored can of La Croix?
Probably not.
One Georgia entrepreneur has taken note of the masses drawn to the canned sparkling water by creating his own locally sourced and locally canned sparkling water, Montane. Labeled as "crisp, clean protected and pristine," the drink comes in three flavors: Cucumber Lime, Meyer Lemon Honeysuckle and Original.
Hollis Callaway, a 31-year-old Georgia native, built the brand from his family’s longtime heirloom: a fresh water spring in Hamilton, Georgia. The potential new beverage obsession is sourced just an hour-and-half down the road from Atlanta at Blue Springs, which flows off the Pine Mountain ridge of Georgia. Blue Springs and the surrounding land have always been special to Callaway's family, according to the Montane website. Cason and Virginia Callaway, Callaway’s great-grandparents, founded Callaway Gardens in the 1950s with a goal to connect man and nature in a way that benefits both.
Today, Hollis Callaway is carrying on that mission by providing a pure natural source of refreshment to Georgians.
"I enjoy sharing it with people," Callaway recently told Creative Loafing. "People are very passionate about their beverages. More so than food, their beverage is part of their identity. You see guys out in the country driving around with Monster Energy stickers on their truck, and then in the city people have their premium, exotic Fiji [water] or whatever else. It's part of how they see themselves."
Callaway notes that Montane has an edge over the wildly popular La Criox due to his drink’s distinction of being sourced from a spring with quartzite bedrock. That distinction makes for Montane’s superior “pristine” taste.
Montane can currently be purchased at Savi Provisions, H&F Bread and Dad's Garage Theatre.
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